Surrealism changed my view of the world. I was first introduced to Surrealism around 14 years of age by my art history teacher. She took us through the Dada and Surrealist movements in great detail and took care in pointing out all the symbolism and meaning behind those magic masterpieces.
Some of the paintings that had maximum impact on me were The Lovers and Son of Man by Magritte and the Persistence of Time and Metamorphosis Of Narcissus by Dali.
I loved the exploration and discovery that would take place when we were introduced to a new painting. The questions that would be asked such as; Why is the clock melting? What does the apple mean? Why do those people in the paintings have cloths over their heads? Sometimes our teacher would have the answer and sometimes not, but I often preferred to derive my own meaning from the painting and allow my imagination to run wild. Wonderful stuff.
When the Surrealist Manifesto(s) was written by Andre Breton, in collaboration with other writers and artists of that time, their main philosophy was based around the fact that rational thought was, by in large, the source of all problems in the world and that change would only occur through the shedding of the rational mind and leveraging the subconscious. The Manifesto(s) delved deeper into that philosophy with the idea that simple, everyday things, objects etc could have deeper meaning when viewed within the subconscious.
As with all art movements Surrealism was no doubt and expression of a period in time and a rebellion against the status quo. It asked, above all else, to look at the world a little differently and allow yourself to question why and how you have always viewed the world and the things within it. Perhaps, it challenged, you could solve a problem though approaching that problem from a different angle.
Although I am not suggesting that Social Media or indeed Digital Media is by any means an artistic movement – although I have heard some people argue that point well – I do believe we are at a moment in time where we are finding ourselves challenging the status quo and finding solutions to problems by approaching a problem from a different and usually, more creative angle.
Creating something beautiful, engaging, shocking even is needed today in order to get attention. I think that Social Media and the plethora of tools and technologies that now exist provide us with carte blanch to paint a brands picture on the digital canvas a little differently. A strong Social Media strategy with deep creative integration can take a brand from the mundane and forgettable to the extraordinary and remarkable. Being less prescriptive and allowing discovery and interpretation to happen a little more subconsciously is a hugely powerful movement that is swiftly picking up speed.
